The Blackstar HT-1RH MK III is a 1-watt tube guitar amplifier head for home practice and studio recording. An ECC83 preamp tube feeds an ECC82 running as a push-pull power stage, so the amp breaks up and compresses like a much bigger tube amp at a volume that suits a small room. Two channels with two voices each, Blackstar's patented ISF tone control, reverb and a USB-C audio output with CabRig speaker emulation cover practice, recording and silent playing.

Channels, Voices and ISF

The Clean and Overdrive channels share one Gain and one Volume control, and the Voice switch gives each channel a second sound. On the Clean channel, one voice follows a classic American clean amp with a bright, mid-shaped tone, and the other follows a British tone that is crunchier and more responsive to your playing. On the Overdrive channel, the voices move from a tight crunch to a higher-gain sound. The ISF control moves the tone between an American character with a tight low end and a British character that is woodier and less aggressive. A 2-way latching footswitch, sold separately, selects both channels and both voices.

Recording and Silent Practice

CabRig is an IR-based cabinet simulator with three stored patches on a front-panel switch, and it feeds the stereo Line Out / Phones jack and the USB-C output. Over USB-C the amp appears as an audio device in your recording software, plug and play on a Mac and with Blackstar's driver on Windows. Blackstar's Architect software edits the CabRig patches and sets a separate reverb decay for each channel. The rear speaker output drives an extension cabinet from 4 to 16 ohms, and the Line In lets you play along with music.

Features

• 1 W push-pull tube power amp with an ECC82, plus an ECC83 preamp tube
• Clean and Overdrive channels with two voices each
• Patented ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) tone control
• Digital reverb, with per-channel decay set in Architect software
• CabRig IR-based cabinet simulator with three stored patches
• USB-C audio output for recording
• Stereo Line Out / Phones output for silent practice and recording
• Line In for playing along with music
• 4 to 16 ohm extension speaker output
• Footswitch jack for channel and voice switching, also usable with external TRS switching

Specifications

• Power: 1 W RMS
• Tubes: 1 x ECC82 (power amp), 1 x ECC83 (preamp)
• Channels: Clean (2 voices), Overdrive (2 voices)
• Front panel: Input, Gain, Overdrive select, Volume, Voice select, ISF, Reverb, CabRig switch, Line Out / Phones, Line In, Power
• Rear panel: Mains input, speaker output (4 to 16 ohms), footswitch, USB-C
• Footswitch: FS-16 and FS-22 compatible (sold separately)
• Dimensions: 272 x 187 x 174 mm (10.7 x 7.4 x 6.9 in)
• Weight: 3.57 kg (7.9 lbs)

In the Box

• HT-1RH MK III amplifier head
• Detachable power cord